15 September 2014

The North Face Endurance Challenge Marathon Report

So there I was, having a beer with Crouse at Fudgies last week. We were chatting about all things running, and Dan shared with me his "Trailer Principle," as I'll call it. Dan insisted that if someone is running behind you, you cannot help but speed up. He said it's always better to be the person NOT in the lead of a group, because then you will inherently 'push' whoever is in front of you, while perhaps not over exerting yourself and your pace. This is exactly what happened on Saturday.

The race started off at 9:00, and I was excited for it. I didn't feel as sharp as I had at Marquette or Lapham last weekend but still felt like I could run a course PR (under 3:21). I had slept in my car the night before but actually slept pretty well. I wouldn't have a crew present at all, so I had one Simple bottle full of CarboPro and a sandwich bag with another couple hundred calories of powder in it to fill up half way. It was COLD the previous night and that morning, but about 15 minutes before the race started, the wind calmed down and the sun actually came out.

At the start, I chatted with buddy/nemesis/frenemy Sascha, and then took off. I was running behind a guy for the first half mile before passing him and finding myself in the lead. The race starts off with about .8 miles of road before ducking in to the woods. As soon as you're on the trail, there's a decent uphill stretch. Thinking back to Dan's "Trailer Principle", I eased up going up the hill and was immediately passed by Grahame. Grahame would lead, and I would be a couple steps behind him for the next 14 miles. Grahame was wearing a hydration pack, so he didn't need to stop at any of the aid stations. He and I literally ran continuously for the first half. I never felt like I was running a lot slower than I would have. I felt I was putting in a solid pace and effort and was staying steady.

Around the halfway point, the course leaves the Ice Age Trail (single track) and follows a gravel road for a bit, then hits up the Horse Trails. This was the first time we weren't on single track, and I took the opportunity to run next to Grahame for a bit. He was definitely working. So, at this point I passed him and decided to start upping the effort levels to try and gap him. I hit the steep loose gravel of the horse trails without hesitation and really started to hammer the flat sections. I've never felt that fresh at that point in a race.

By Mile 18 I knew I had the win. I also figured I had hammered enough of a gap that I could probably ease up the effort a bit. Yet, I didn't. I just kept working. The stretch from Hwy 67 to Piper Aid station has always felt really long and boring to me, but on Saturday it wasn't bad. I worked my way through it, and sure enough I was now only about 4 miles from victory...and for the first time ever, Ellie would be there!

From Piper to the finish, I ran sub-7 minutes miles. Like I said, I've never felt that solid. My last mile was a 6:13 (on the roads back to the start). My third-last mile was a 6:38. I just loved it. So. Much. Fun.

I actually got a bit emotional at the finish with Ellie. It was amazing to hug her at the finish, especially after a WIN!

Strava Sez

2 Corinthians 12:10

About Me

I've gone from a 5:15 marathon to a 2:59 marathon (in my 23rd marathon I finally broke 3 hours!), but my favorite running takes place on single track trails. I'd rather be running on the Ice Age Trail than anywhere else...good thing I live .5 miles from the trail! I'm still chasing times and the 'perfect run,' but with Edwin and Estelle at home and a growing business, I'm finding I need running more for sanity than anything else. My one rule of running is to only do it when my kids are sleeping: "Invisible Training"
Goals:
ANOTHER Sub 3 marathon.
Sub 4 trail 50k.
Another 50 Miler (current PR is 6:46)
...and 100 miles?